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Sustainable buildings

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The EU building industry is entering a greener era driven by four major shifts

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Increasingly stringent regulations for sustainable construction: the construction sector is directly affected by legislation and policies concerning protection of the environment, health & safety, energy efficiency and social and economic quality.

The market shift towards green buildings that are becoming the new standard: investing in a non-green building will have serious financial consequences in the future. Rating systems for sustainable buildings are being introduced throughout Europe.

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The rising prices of resources (e.g. gas, electricity and non-renewable natural resources) and their relative price volatility: this highlights the need to integrate energy-efficient and recyclable/recycled materials in the construction.

Increasing market awareness about sustainability: sustainable products are increasingly preferred in construction (i.e. materials based on sound management of resources throughout the supply chain, including natural materials or materials with a longer lifetime and lower degree of processing).

Buildings currently account for over 40% of the European primary energy demand and 36% of Europe’s CO2 emissions.

Buildings are among the biggest consumers of energy and the largest contributors to global greenhouse emissions, ahead of transport, agriculture and industrial processes. In response the EU has set a range of energy targets for all new buildings by 2020. By improving the energy efficiency of buildings and the products used, we can reduce total EU energy consumption and help to attain long-term objectives.

A reduction of 90% in CO2 emissions from buildings will have to be achieved by 2050

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In its roadmap, the European Commission recommends that a reduction of 90% in CO2 emissions from buildings is needed in order to reach the EU’s goal of a low-carbon economy. Thanks to the available technologies for construction materials – including high-insulating glass that offers a positive energy balance – this objective is certainly feasible.

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The unique energy-efficient solutions offered by flat glass products are smoothing the way towards the low-carbon economy in Europe

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Glass is unique amongst building materials because of its ability to admit natural light and solar heat.
Thanks to its light transmission properties, glass can substantially reduce the energy bill, given that artificial lighting can contribute as much as 40% of a building’s total primary energy consumption (source: Carbon Trust, independent experts on carbon reduction).

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Glass can help to reduce your energy consumption for heating, cooling and artificial lighting all in one

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By combining advanced glass coatings and double or triple glazing, greater advantage can be taken of the insulating or solar control properties of glass.

During cold weather conditions, low-emissivity coatings help to keep the warmth inside the building while capturing the benefit of solar heat. Likewise, in warm climates solar control coatings prevent the sun’s heat from entering the building while allowing daylight to pass through the window. The room therefore stays bright but at the same time is kept cooler than the outside.

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On average, 37% of the primary energy consumption of a standard building belonging to the tertiary sector in Europe comes from the heating needs. Another 19% and 18% of the primary energy demand is attributable respectively to the ventilation & IT systems and artificial lighting.

26% of the primary energy needs are equally split between the cooling systems and all other energy needs not already mentioned (e.g. to heat water, etc.). Thanks to AGC’s added-value products, we are able to directly reduce this primary energy consumption for three of these categories: heating, cooling and artificial lighting.

Last but not least, a study carried out by TNO for Glass for Europe indicates that a third of the EU’s 20% improvement in the EU's energy efficiency for 2020 could be achieved by replacing the regular glazed areas in European buildings with these advanced glazings.

2. Glass for Europe is the trade association for Europe's manufacturers of building, automotive, and transport glass, all derived from the base material known as flat glass (http://www.glassforeurope.com)

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Environment-friendly products in green building rating systems

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Reversing climate change by using efficient, energy-saving building materials is one thing; lifecycle management of the multiple aspects required for sustainability is quite another. To measure these aspects it is necessary to have various "green indices." These include the product’s recyclability level, recycled content, eco-friendliness, regional aspects, indoor air quality, life cycle impact, as well as the company’s social responsibility and responsible environmental management across the product’s supply chain. Amidst growing interest in environment-friendly products in construction, buildings are now being certified as “sustainable buildings.”

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The most widely used rating systems for sustainable buildings in Europe are BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method) and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). These are used to rate buildings in terms of efficient utilisation of energy, water, and other resources in order to minimise their environmental burden, including waste and pollution. The number of buildings with such certification is expected to increase significantly in the future.

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The BREEAM rating scheme

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The BREEAM rating scheme has a weighting for each category of interest, which makes it possible to obtain a maximum score of 100% as shown below.

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The LEED rating scheme

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For LEED, the final rating is based on the number of points achieved in the different categories. It is possible to win extra points thanks to the Innovation and Regional priority categories.

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The certification level is typically based on the number of credits or points awarded in the different categories.

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BREEAM ratings

BREEAM ratings

Pass

≥ 30%

Good

≥ 45%

Very Good

≥ 55%

Excellent

≥ 70%

Outstanding

≥ 85%

These rating systems for buildings are now shaping the market for added-value glass products: many architects specialising in low energy buildings are incorporating large glazed areas in their designs. Besides other advantages such as reduction in primary energy consumption, glass allows natural light to enter the building which results in increased comfort, productivity, health and wellbeing for the occupants. These latest criteria are accounted for in the final score of the building rating systems.

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LEED ratings

LEED v4

Certified

40-49 points earned

Silver

50-59 points earned

Gold

60-69 points earned

Platinum

80+ points earned

AGC Glass Europe is leading this green building revolution by actively developing sustainable products and promoting their use. Indeed it is setting a shining example (quite literally!) with its own fully sustainable headquarters.

AGC Glass Europe’s new headquarters in Belgium, which opened in 2013, is sustainable in operation just as in construction.

AGC Glass Europe has collaborated with third-party BREEAM and LEED certified assessors to help customers improve their certification ratings. These assessors analysed the company’s glass products to assess the number of credits or points they could contribute under the certification systems.

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The results of the study show that AGC Glass Europe products can contribute in different categories of the ratings schemes, leading to a higher level of certification for the sustainable building.

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Details of the contributions made by AGC Glass Europe’s glazing and interior glass solutions for BREEAM and LEED ratings can be downloaded below:

Contact sustainability@eu.agc.com for more information concerning the contribution that our products can make to BREEAM and LEED certification. Further information on our products can be found at www.yourglass.com

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